Railway crossing



Oct. 9, 1928. 1,686,541

G. W.-WILSON RAILWAY CROSSING Filed April 25, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fwwa fl/wm Oct. 9, 1928. 1,686,541

' G. w. WILSON RAILWAY CROSSING Filed April 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct.9. 1928.

Fig.6 Z

ZNVENTOR 650E627 W W mTzvsss Patented Oct. 9, i928.

GEORGE W. WILSON,

, jsass i JAMES RAILWAY cnossrne.

Application filed. April 25, 1827. Serial No.f186,317.

crossing comprises rail sections located and immovably secured atintersections of trackways for alinement with and to, form continuationsof the running rails of the trackways. 7 To provide for the free passageof the flanges of the wheels of rolling stock moving along one trackwayacross or relative to the rails of an intersecting trackwa'y,clearances, or breaks, are formed in the surtacesor" the heads of theseveral rail sections 01"". the crossing, which clearances, or breaks,as interruptions of the. tread surfaces of the rails, present dwells, orrecesses, into which the wheels of rolling stock sink, or drop, and areproductive of the socalled hammering, the cause of injury, damage, wearand destruction of equipment including both the trackway and rollingstock and which also is objectionable from the standpoint of noise. Manyexpedients havetbeen resorted to and many contrivances planned, andin-rvented, toward the end ofproducmg a railcrossing providing both therequired clearance for the flanges of wheels and theuninterrupted'carriage of the wheel treads over and across the flangeclearance devices, all of which may beclassified under two generalheads, namely, those having rail surfaces engageable by the wheelflanges whereby the wheel flanges provide wheel support at the v momentof the passage of the wheel treads across the flange clearance or anintersecting rail, and those in which the rails of the crossing aremovable for selective alinement with the running rails ofintersectingtrackways. The cont-rivances of the first mentioned class are notsatisfactory because the sharp flanges of the wheels rapidly wear therail surfaces provided for them to levels no longer useful in carryingthe wheel treads over the flange clearances of intersecting rails, whichmadetor the requirement of too frequent replacementvwith attendantexpense.

' The contrivances of the second mentioned class in which rails of thecrossing provide wheel carrying conditions identical with the runningrails of the trackways, require mountings, for the rails of thecrossing-constructed as turntables, involve vertical The conventionaland standard railwayaxes; are expensive initially, cumbersome,

11mm s r s difiicult to operate and subject to displace-.

'ment by end thrusts imparted bythe passage of rolling stock there0ver.'

{in objector my invent on is to provide-a railway crossing of simple,durable and inexpensive construction, which possesses the solidity andwearing qualities otthe standard crossing 'withoutits objectionablehammering and noise and possesses the continuous wheel bearing surfaceand wheel flange clearance of the turntabletype without its initialgreat eXpense,'its bulky cumbersome construction, its diiiicultyofoperation and its lllkehheod to displacement by rolling stoc i A furtherobject is to provide a rail cross-i r 4 ing having elements bearingfixed alined relation with the rails of trackways and which are bodilyrotated to present wheel bearing surfaces of different characterswherebyaj minimum ofmoving i both continuous uninterruupted wheelsup=parts, serve to provide,

porting surfaces and wheel flange clearance for rolling stock passing inany direction thereover.

This invention provides element with wheel bearin 'surfaces ofdif'ferent characteristics to be selectively positioned and to furnishcontinuous and uninterrupted wheel supporting surfaces andtiangeclearance for the wheels :of rolling stock moving in any directionthereover.

Other objects, advantages andi'teatures of invention may appear from theaccompanying drawings, the subjoined ,detai edfdescripit-ion and theappended claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the lllVel'ltlOIL, I r

Figure 1 is a plan view o f-ara lway cross a single crossing ingconstructed in accordance with my in vention. I r p u 2 is a perspectiveview of a fragment of the crossing showing the movable crossing velement-as set to provide continuous wheel flange clearance antcontinuous wheel tread supporting surfaces longitudinally of theelement. I Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional elevation taken online m Fig 2. I i V, r Fig. 4C is a'viewsimilar to'Fig. 2showingtheimovable crossing element asset to pro ating the crossing elements.

Vide continuous wheel flange clearance and continuous wheel treadsupporting'surface transversely ofthe element. 7

Fig. 5. is an enlarged transverse sectional elevation taken on line a 4.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatical plan View, partly in section, showing meansfor oper- 1, 2, 3 and 4t designate the running rails of one trackway and5, 6, 7 and 8 designate the running rails of a second trackway, crossingor intersecting, the rails 1,2, 3 and 4c, all of which are shown asofstandard, or conven ticnal, construction of T. type of themselvessuchT-rails, form no part of my invention, except as combined with thecrossing of my invention and maybe of other types such as standardgroove-rails. r As shown a crossing element 9 is fixed to aline withthe-rails 1 and 3 and extend cross the rails and 6, and similarly acrossing element 10 is fixed to aline with the rails 2 and at andextendacross the rails 7 and 8.

The elements 9 and 10 are bodily rotatable on horizontal axes and areprovided with wheel tread supporting surfaces 11 and 12 forcorrespondence with the balls of the rails 1 1 and3 and 2 and 1,respectively, as shown in Figs. 1, 2. and 3 and with wheel treadsupporting surfaces 13 for correspondence with the balls of the rails 5,7 and 6, 8, respectively.

In my preferred construction, and as shown, the elements 9 and lOare ofsubstantially cylinder form and are mounted for ro tation'in continuousbearings 14, of segmental trough-shape having base flanges 15 wherebythey may be secured tosupports, such as the sleepers, or ties 16, as byspikes 17, after the ordinary manner ofsecuring running rails.

Crossing elements 18 and 19 are fixed to aline respectively with therails 5, 7 and 6, 8

which by preference comprise bases 20, hav-- .ing flanges 21 forsecurement to the sleepers, and by further preference formed integralwith the-bearings ltfwhereby. the crossing- :is a-whole may be handledand installed as one piece. r

. Supported by the bases 20 of the elements 18 and 19 are caps 22 on thebase of the cross ing element 18, and 23 on the base of the element 19,"which extended between the crossing elements 9 and'10; which'caps areremovably and replaceably secured as by bolts 24 and bear Wheel bearingsurfaces 25 which sectionally correspond with the balls ofthe runningrails and which have their terminals shaped to conform with theperipheries of thesectionally circular crossing elements 9 and 10 asbest shown in: Figs. 2

"and 3. 1

Outside :of the crossing elements 9 and 10 j the bases 18 and 19 supportcaps-26, similar to the caps 22 and 23, the inner terminals of I It ishere pointed out that the widths of the surfaces 11 and 12 aresubstatially the same the widths of the balls of the runningrails andthat the shaped terminals of the several caps 22,23 and'26 are spaceddistances greater than the faces 11 and 12;

widths of the'sur- This expedient provides for clearance of r theflanges of the wheels in moving across the'wheel supporting surfaces ofthe caps.

IILFIgS. 1 and 5 the crossing elements 9 and '10 are shown asset for thepassage of rolling stoclcover thc rails 5, 6, 7 and 8, and with their,surfaces 13 brought to register with the, rails 5, 6, 7 and 8. It ishere widths than the described surfaces 11 and 12, and form flushcontinuatlons of thewheel bearing surfaces of the several caps.

pointed out that thesurfaces 13, have greater lVhen the elements 9 and10 are in the position just recited, wheel flange clearance is rovided brooves orchannels 27 formed transversely of the elements 9 and 10, and ito lie immediately adjacent the wheel bearing surfaces of the caps.

WVhen the elements 9" and 10 are set for wheel'travel over the rails 1,2, 3 and 4, wheel flange clearance is provided by grooves or channels 28extending lengthwise throughout the elements 9 and 10 and lying next thewheel supporting surfacesll and 12 thereof.

To provide against endwise tipping of the elements 9 and 10, I formjournals 29 at each.

of their ends, which occupy bearings 30 formed in the base and overwhich I place caps 31, which are removably and replaceably' secured asby screws" 32, and which have formed thereon wheel bearing surfaces 33for extension betweenthe runinngralls land 3 and the surface 11 of theelement 9 andbe-' tween the runningrails 2 and 4, and the surface 12 oftheelementlo. In ,6, means are shown for turning th elements 9 and 10which consist of a solenoid 3 1 having opposed windings 35 and 36,

a single core 37 and oppositely extended core stems 38 and 39. The stem39 is directly connected to) the element 10 and the stem 38 is connectedto the element 9 through a motion reversing means 40.

Conductors 11 connected with the windings 35 and 36 may be extend'e'd toany suitable mechanism for control by rolling stock as for example anyapproved, selective,

switch throwing means.

' I claim V g 1; A railway crossing comprising a substantiallycylindrical element having a wheel bearing surface to form anuninterrupted continuation of alined running rails a second wheelbearingsurface, circumferentially spaced from the first mentioned bearingsurface, a transversely extending Wheel bearing surface having greaterwidth than the longitudinal wheel bearing surface, running railsabutting the ends of the element, fixed crossing elements having wheelbearing surfaces conforming with the trans versely extending Wheelbearing surface of the rotatable element; and means for. rotating therotatable element for selectively positioning its wheel bearing surfacesrelative to sa1d running ralls and the Wheel bearlng surfaces of thefixed crossing elements.

3.'A railway crossing comprising relative- I 7 1y angularly disposedbase elements. for

alinement with the running rails of intersecting trackways, bodilyrotatable elements removably and replaceably secured to a pair 'of saidbase elements, and caps having Wheel bearing surfaces removably andreplaceably secured to a. second pair of said base ele-.

ments.

a. A. railwaycrossing comprising a pair of elements in fixed alinementwith the run- 1 ning rails of a trackway, and extending be tween andbeyond both running rails of an intersecting trackway, said elementspro-i vided respectively with distinct wheel tread" supporting surfacesand means for bodily '7 moving the elements to selectively bring theirwheel tread supporting surfaces to aline with the rails of eithertrackway.

-5. In a railway crossing of the class described, a crossing element ofsubstantially cylindrical form; a bearing providing rotatable supportthroughout the length of theelement; means'in the peripheral face of theelement forming'a wheel tread supporting surface extending the length ofthe element, and distinct means in the peripheral face of the elementforming a wheel tread supthe element. Y

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at LosAngelesCalifornia, this 14th day of April, 1927.

GEORGE W; WILSON;

c0 porting surface extending transversely of i

